Monday, 31 January 2011

From today, British Gas customers will be able to collect Nectar points as the UK's leading energy supplier joins forces with the country's biggest loyalty programme.

The new partnership means that over 12 million British Gas customers can now benefit from the full range of Nectar rewards ranging from money off at Sainsbury's and Homebase to Eurostar and Vue cinema tickets.

British Gas customers will be able to collect Nectar points for their Energy or Maintenance and Repair accounts (for example; gas, electricity, Kitchen Appliance Cover, HomeCare 100™ or Plumbing and Drains Cover) as well as collect bonus points for taking out additional products and services. British Gas will continue to add new ways to collect bonus points and run special promotions throughout the year.

Phil Bentley, Managing Director, British Gas comments, "More than 12 million customers count on British Gas to look after their world every day and we don't take that loyalty for granted. As a way of saying thank you and rewarding that loyalty we've joined Nectar. Nectar's reach will help our customers to benefit from the points they can collect using our services and those of the other great partners in the programme."

Newspaper reports over the weekend suggest that the government could scrap the £1bn-a-year green stealth tax, formally known as the Carbon Reduction Commitment.

Don’t celebrate just yet, though – rather than seeing the tax disappear totally, it’s likely it would just be merged with other existing taxes.

“One of the options proposed is effectively abolishing the Carbon Reduction Commitment and saying should we merge its provisions with the Climate Change Levy (an existing tax on business energy usage) and mandatory carbon reporting,” Dave Symons, a director at WSP Environment and Energy told the Sunday Telegraph.

“We can see the logic for that. But it’s quite a substantial change – merging the scheme with another tax could even create additional revenue for the Treasury because it could extend the scope.”

Under the plans that the Coalition government inherited from the previous government, the Carbon Reduction Commitment will apply to mid-sized businesses with annual energy bills of more than £500,000, of which there are about 5,000 across Britain.

Paul Golby, the long-serving chief executive and chairman of E.ON UK, has been asked to stay beyond the company's retirement age to complete a major restructuring of the £9bn-turnover business.

Business Energy industry insiders said that Dr Golby had said late last year that he would retire on his 60th birthday this year. However, Dusseldorf-based E.ON has waived its retirement cut-off and asked Dr Golby to continue to lead the 15,000-employee British division.

The major part of the restructuring is the sell-off of UK power distribution networks in a move expected to raise £3.5bn. Hong Kong businessman Li Ka-shing is trying to buy the assets through his Cheung Kong Infrastructure vehicle, although there is at least one more bidder. JP Morgan is handling the sale and Deutsche is acting for Mr Li.

The slimmed-down company would remain a big player in the UK through its power generation, which includes 21 wind farms, and £6.6bn-turnover retail divisions.

Coventry-based E.ON UK was bought by the German giant in July 2002 when it was known as Powergen. Dr Golby became its chief executive that year and is well-respected in the industry.

A Former cafe owner has been awarded more than £18,000 damages after he was slandered by a British Gas worker.

Can Say, who ran the Corby Cafe, in George Street, in the town, took British Gas Services to the High Court in London after his electricity was mistakenly cut off in 2008. Mr Say claimed the bailiff who went to cut the power slandered him in front of his customers by falsely saying he had not paid his bill.

The company admitted the disconnection was a blunder on their part, but denied their employee had said anything defamatory.

But now a top judge has awarded Mr Say £18,747 total damages for the slander and the losses incurred during the 10-day power cut.

Speaking outside court, Mr Say, the son of a former Cypriot MP, said he was pleased that the judge had found in his favour, but the money would not compensate him for the three years of stress he had lived through while fighting the case.

Judge Bernard Livesey QC told the court Mr Say’s son, Hildi, ran the cafe using a business name of Kingdom Catering Ltd, from 2005 to 2008. However, “for whatever reason”, a £2,000 debt was run up to British Gas before, after a brief closure, his father took over. Despite Mr Say writing to British Gas and telling them the business had changed hands, it sent round a bailiff and an engineer on August 28, 2008, to disconnect the supply.

Friday, 28 January 2011

I am at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where political, academic, and business leaders from around the world are convening to reflect upon our global development, identify positive progress, and meditate on new global risks and realities. At the top of the agenda is climate change.

Facebook is one of the many businesses here to address key global challenges -- an appropriate player given the company's unprecedented growth and global membership of over 500 million people. Valued at over $50 billion and representing a new era of technology and social interaction, Facebook is just the kind of highly visible, innovative company that can best demonstrate the bold and transformative leadership required to face the global realities being discussed this week in Davos.

I was interviewed at the forum today by Randi Zuckerberg, Facebook's director of marketing. I brought a gift to Randi, who is expecting a child -- a maternity shirt with the message "Facebook: Unfriend Coal" -- offered as a reminder that we need unprecedented cooperation and leadership from corporations, like Facebook, which have the political power, capital, and innovative drive help to stop climate change.

Three research and development projects that will help to develop wave- and tidal-energy technologies are set to receive investment of more than £2.5m

Made by the Technology Strategy Board (TSB), the investment will help to finance research and development focusing on supporting and underpinning the deployment of pre-commercial devices installed and operating in the sea.

The companies leading the three projects are Bauer Renewables, Pelamis Wave Power and Marine Current Turbines.

Thursday, 27 January 2011

A new "dash for gas" could be created by the UK's energy policy, delaying investment in renewable technology, a government committee has warned.

UK energy policy 'could delay renewable energy investment'

Some £200 billion will be needed to upgrade the country's energy infrastructure in the next decade to meet renewable energy and carbon reduction targets, according to the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

This investment will be accompanied by six draft National Policy Statements (NSPs) intended to improve planning for energy projects, however it has been argued these do not place enough emphasis on low-carbon developments.

The Energy and Climate Change Select Committee warn in a new report if too large capacity for gas generation is allowed to develop this could "crowd out opportunities for renewables to form a substantial component of the UK's energy mix".

Norway's Statoil said it was planning on Thursday to curb production capacity to conduct repairs at its giant Troll field, the biggest gas reservoir off Norway, and that the work would last less than a week.

The news on Troll, which produces 31 billion cubic metres of gas per year and 113,000 barrels of oil per day, comes amid a 70 percent drop in the flows of Norwegian gas via the Langeled pipeline that helped push UK gas prices to a three-week high.

Investment in renewable energy technology could suffer as a result of new government rules that favour gas-powered generation, MPs are warning.

Plans to speed up the planning process for major energy projects do not prioritise low-carbon generation over conventional capacity, according to a report from the House of Commons Energy and Climate Change Committee.

This could encourage a ‘dash for gas’ from investors, and the development of too much gas capacity could crowd out opportunities for renewable sources of energy, the report warns.

Marin Katusa, Chief Energy Strategist, Casey Research writes: Tunisia's uprising has democracy watchers wondering if the instability will spill over into neighboring North African countries, but really that instability is already there. In the first week of the year, Algeria experienced violent protests after the government hiked prices for staple foods like milk, sugar, oil, and flour.

Some 800 people were injured in several days of rioting, prompting President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to cut costs on some foods and lower import duties on others. The rioters went home, but odds are they will return to the streets when prices rise again.

The scheme, designed to promote the uptake of small-scale renewable electricity generation, has already paid out more than £2.5 million (around US $4 million) to applicants – with the subsidies proving particularly popular in the solar PV sector, which has accounted for the lion’s share (around 60%) of participants to date.

Solar has proved increasingly popular for several reasons. Firstly, prices for the technology have decreased, making it much more attractive for consumers. In addition, solar panels are now much more widely available across the country, meaning that people can buy them at their local DIY store and either hire a contractor or self-install.

Wednesday, 26 January 2011

Expected UK offshore wind deployment by 2020 may be far below levels the country needs to meet European Union renewable energy goals, a director at the government-funded Carbon Trust said on Tuesday.

Industry expectations are for 19-24 gigawatts of offshore wind power by the end of the decade, said Benj Sykes, director of innovations at the Carbon Trust, based on informal soundings of leading players.

That contrasted with the 29 GW the organisation says is needed to meet a legally binding EU target for Britain to get 15 percent of its energy from renewable sources by the end of the decade.

"We're looking to close that gap," Sykes told Reuters. The Carbon Trust is meant to drive carbon cuts across the British economy.

"We agree that 19-24 GW is definitely achievable. We may need more, depending on what happens around heat and transport."

A new report by a committee of MPs today [Wednesday, 26 January 2010] warning that new UK planning rules could lead to a new 'dash for gas' and stall low-carbon energy investment, has been welcomed by Friends of the Earth.

The green campaigning charity is calling on the Government to amend its energy planning rules - or National Policy Statements - to ensure that they play their part in ensuring UK climate targets are met.

"MPs are right to be concerned about a new dash-for-gas - this would damage our energy security, increase carbon emissions and obstruct green energy investment.

"The National Policy Statement must set a cap on the amount of carbon-belching energy generation allowed in the UK - which must be linked to the Government's climate change goals to give markets certainty about investing in green power.

"Developing our huge renewable energy potential could help get us out of the economic doldrums, wean us off fossil fuels and create new green industries and jobs - but reforming the Government's energy policy is essential to make this a reality."

The Energy Committee said it was "sceptical" that Britain's target of switching on two nuclear power stations a year between 2020 and 2025 would be reached.

The UK needs a huge number of new nuclear power stations to make up for the coal-fired stations being switched off over the next decade.

However, the committee warned that the Coalition's new planning system did not appear to be capable of making sure the 12 new stations are located in the right places to be linked up to the electricity grid.

"Hooking up this amount of nuclear and other generation to the national grid poses an unprecedented challenge," said Tim Yeo, its chairman. "Two plants a year is a very high target to reach. The [system] lacks any real framework for coordinating the process of siting and linking up the new power stations."

With the decline of North Sea gas production the UK went from being self sufficient and an exporter of natural gas to being a net importer. This has caused many changes to the UK gas market, mainly in business and commercial gas prices volatility.

Back in the days when the UK was self sufficient for natural gas few factors influenced gas prices. They were weather and demand, nowadays, the UK gas market has become more complex and several factors have a direct effect on prices.

Since 1998 when the first pipeline between the UK and Europe was opened UK gas prices were automatically hooked to European oil indexed prices. Since then, UK gas prices were determined by marginal transactions. Basically if oil prices raise so does UK gas prices.

British gas contract prices began Monday firmer than Friday's close, after very erratic supplies of Norwegian gas over the weekend, but eased later as Norway's biggest gas export facility increased output.

Data from National Grid showed big swings in Norwegian gas supplies to Britain over the weekend, but flows of fuel through the Langeled pipeline from Kollsnes into eastern England had bounced back to 60 mcm/day early on Monday. Norwegian North Sea gas infrastructure operator Gassco said on Monday it expected Kollsnes, which can export up to 143 million cubic metres of gas a day, to return to full capacity on Monday after the plant shut last Thursday, helping ease concerns about supplies. "The market was a bit bullish early in the morning but then we have retraced," said one trader, adding that below average demand because of mild weather for the time of year should take the strain off Britain's gas storage sites and weigh on prices.

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Monday, 24 January 2011

Tip 1. Reducing electric consumption is as simple as using it only when needed. Turning off lights that aren't in use can work wonders on your electric bill. If you just need a soft light, candles can also be a useful tool, instead of clicking on a light switch.

Tip 2. Using lower wattage bulbs in areas that don't need as much lighting is another way of reducing your electric bill. Using bulbs labeled "energy saver" will also cut costs as well.

Tip 3. Unplugging appliances that are not in use for extended periods of time will also lend a "hand" at saving on your electric bill

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Friday, 21 January 2011

Silicon Valley fuel cell maker Bloom Energy is beginning to sell 10-year electricity contracts in addition to straight out sales of its machines, the start-up said on Thursday.

Credit Suisse will provide financing for the service by Bloom, one of the best-known new companies focusing on alternative energy and clean technology. Its machines use electrochemical chemical processes to turn natural gas and biogas into energy.

Chief Financial Officer Bill Kurtz said by telephone that the new offering would essentially double demand, since many customers preferred to avoid the capital costs of buying machines and that Bloom's profit margins were equal for both transactions.

Thursday, 20 January 2011

Commercial LED lighting creates a number of competitive advantages for to the contractor developing a proposal for a school, municipality, church, non-profit organization, corporate headquarters, or resort location. Regardless of fixture type, all commercial LED lights use less electricity than comparatively priced fluorescent fixtures. Because they are the most energy efficient lights in the world, commercial led lights are an excellent investment for any organization strapped with high power bills that needs to immediately begin reducing overhead. As the sophistication of led white light continues to evolve, commercial led lights have now worked their way into every major outdoor lighting application. New developments in diode technology allow light and color levels to be customized to the environment and directed with greater precision than metal halide and high-pressure sodium equivalents. This offers the added benefit of not only lower lighting costs, but also less light pollution. RLLD Commercial Lighting works with lighting designers and commercial contractors from Coast to Coast as a multi-manufacturer distributor of commercial led lighting fixtures available for major outdoor lighting applications. http://deiknuo.com/lighting/commercial-led-street-lights-and-architectural-security-lighting/

Britain emerged as world leader in generating electricity from offshore wind turbines last year as the European Union showed a record jump in output, a study said Thursday. The EU has pledged to reduce its greenhouse-gas emissions by at least 20 per cent before 2020 and sees offshore wind power as one of the main ways of doing so. But the technology is still in its infancy and is far from challenging traditional forms of generation. http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/business/news/article_1613191.php/Britain-leads-as-EU-offshore-wind-power-has-record-year-study-says

There is widespread anticipation about the benefits of smart metering . Consumers will get timely and accurate bills and have the tools to manage, understand and reduce their energy consumption; utilities will have reduced billing costs and can benefit from enhanced customer engagement. But, there are many decisions along the way that could impact these outcomes.

Here is a dystopian picture of the future in which a catalogue of wrong turns and missed opportunities have rendered the smart meter roll out ineffective. It is 2020 and Smart Metering hasn't been rolled out across the UK. It all went wrong. Why?

The energy select committee reviewed the government's plans for a mandated smart metering roll-out. They were very critical of the mandating of energy displays as the sole means of providing information to the customer, noting that a piece of paper was a much cheaper universal requirement, and that the competitive market should be left to fight over web services, displays, and information through smart phones, etc.

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The colder weather forecasted for this week and the rise of oil prices, are forcing UK gas prices to go up. But strong supply from the continent and steady LNG gas imports kept a cap on gains. Surprisingly on Monday, gas demand forecasts were 6 percent lower than seasonal levels. Last week demand had been 10 percent lower year on year, according to National Grid data.

According to forecasts from the Met Office temperatures will plunge this week which will lift the demand for gas used for heating.

"We've seen a move to colder weather but it's nothing serious. There is plenty of gas around but still plenty of buyers out there," one business gas trader said.

Tuesday, 18 January 2011

The Grand Hotel Tynemouth is a busy seafront hotel and banqueting venue, hosting 100 wedding receptions a year, as well as conferences and events, with room for up to 450 diners. It also has a popular 80-cover fine dining restaurant, two public bars serving meals and 45 guest bedrooms.

At the heart of its demanding foodservice operation the hotel had three large (20 grid) thirteen-year-old combi steamers which were coming to the end of their service life. In order to maximise flexibility for both banqueting and à la carte cooking, owners Nigel and Eddie Hastie decided to replace them with two large 20 grid and two smaller 6 grid combi steamers. However, the cost of the total investment was a major stumbling block - until they talked to Rational. Lee Wilmot, development chef at Rational UK, explains: "Working with Heaton Catering Equipment (HCE) we carried out extensive tests on the old equipment. The tests showed that, by investing in new Rational SelfCooking Centers, The Grand would cut power consumption by over 25%, saving £7,000 per year in energy costs alone. If they keep them for as long as the old ones, they'll save £90,000 over the lifetime of the machines." Impressive though they were, the energy savings weren't the only financial benefit. Armed with the statistics, The Grand applied to the Carbon Trust and, as a result of the replacement units' potential impact on power consumption, was granted an interest free loan to finance the £60,000 project. http://www.redorbit.com/news/business/1979696/rationals_cut_energy_consumption_by_25_carbon_trust_grant_helps/index.html?source=r_general

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The best way to find out if you have the best business gas prices is to simply check out the various options available on the market. For any business to stay profitable in the current economic conditions, it is very important that the expenses remain minimal and all resources are optimized. This also means getting the best business gas prices or energy prices, as energy is one of the major expense areas for all businesses. Even though energy costs are increasing, due to the immense demand on the market for affordable commercial gas, there are a number of suppliers who offer really attractive rates on different subscription packages. In order to determine if you are paying the right price for your business gas supply it is mandatory that you have a thorough understanding of your current usage and the amount that you pay monthly for your usage. These details are readily available on your monthly statement, and you can use this to compare and find out if you have the best deal on your gas prices. http://www.mybusinessgas.com/latest-news/how-do-you-know-if-you-have-got-the-best-business-gas-prices

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Opus Energy has announced new partnerships with smart meter providers UPL and National Grid owned OnStream. Opus Energy, which had previously worked with IMServe, claims to be the first energy company to make smart meters available to all of its customers, free of charge.

The agreements with the new providers cover the delivery and operation of meters and the collection of their data. Expanding its portfolio enables Opus Energy to increase its customer roll-out. After installing over 12,000 meters in 2010, the company expects to deploy an additional 3,000 by spring 2011, which represents nearly 20 percent of its client base. Opus reports that the planned installations include all of its Profile Class 5-8 users, who will have their meters fitted in advance of the Government's 2014 mandate

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Some media groups like to refer to themselves as 'no spin zones'. But among business energy insiders the phrase has been applied to wind farms, given that turbines mostly operate at well below 30 percent of installed capacity. Recently, serious cold weather has badly affected Britain and its much-vaunted 'wind power experience' and it turns out that wind farms are, quite literally in deepest winter, no spin zones.

Such is the grip the Big Freeze has had on Britain (as in northern Europe and the eastern U.S.) since early November that leading industrialists have forcibly reiterated last years' warning about growing over-reliance on wind power. As the latest figures show, just when Britain was in the greatest need from its burgeoning wind farm industry to perform from November through January with temperatures plunging to as much as minus 20 celsius, wind power failed miserably.

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Giant GE has acquired smart metering specialist Remote Energy Monitoring for an undisclosed amount in a bid to stake a foothold in the UK market.

Hertfordshire-based Remote Energy Monitoring supplies software and hardware technologies to help consumers and utilities in the UK and Australia monitor and manage their energy use.

Crucial to GE is that Remote Energy Monitoring's smart meter technology has been approved by UK regulator Ofgem.

"Combining Remote Energy Monitoring's UK smart metering expertise with GE's worldwide metering, manufacturing and smart grid leadership will expedite the rollout of this important technology, enabling the UK to lead in this area of energy management and efficiency," says Bob Gilligan, vice president of digital energy at GE Energy Services.

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ABSTRACT Utility Bill Tracking systems are at the center of an effective energy management program. However, some organizations spend time and money putting together a utility bill tracking system and never reap any value. This paper presents three utility bill analysis techniques which energy managers can use to arrive at sound energy management decisions and achieve cost savings.

INTRODUCTION Utility bill tracking and analysis is at the center of rigorous energy management practice. Reliable energy management decisions can be made based upon analysis from an effective utility bill tracking system. From your utility bills you can determine:

- whether you are saving energy or increasing your consumption, - which buildings are using too much energy, - whether your energy management efforts are succeeding, - whether there are utility billing or metering errors, and - when usage or metering anomalies occur (ie. when usage patterns change)

Any energy management program is incomplete if it does not track utility bills. Equally, any energy management program is rendered less effective when its utility tracking system is difficult to use or does not yield valuable information. In either case, fruitful energy savings opportunities are lost.

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High energy costs are damaging the UK's economic recovery, business groups have claimed, placing pressure on the government to address the issue. The Major Energy Users Council (MEUC) and the Federation of Small Businesses have both told the government that the increase in business energy bills, along with the VAT rise, is harming companies and the UK's potential to recover from the economic downfall.

Andrew Bainbridge, MEUC chairman, said that it was concerned with the "lack of sensitivity" involving extra costs at a time when businesses are struggling to recover from the recession.

Recently the MEUC has created the Carbon Action Group to tackle the rise in fuel prices.

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According to the National Grid, gas supplies have fallen dramatically after the coldest December since 1890. The amount of gas kept in storage in the UK is at the lowest level it has been in nearly five years. The problem here is that these low levels have happened so early in winter.

Just last month, the UK's gas storage facilities reported that they are already more than half empty. This is due to the storage companies trying to keep up with record demand. Domestic supplies of gas have also been exported to the continent via the Interconnector undersea pipeline, because prices are higher there than in the UK.

As of last Friday, the UK had enough commercial gas in storage to meet a total of about five-and-a-half days' consumption. Of course, that is based on the average winter temperatures. Storage facilities only release about a fraction of this amount each day. These facilities, which are mostly old gas fields, have in the past, run down gradually during the winter and restocked over the spring and summer. However, analysts said that suppliers have withdrawn stocks much earlier this year. The problem here is that there is still at least two months of winter left to get through.

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Looking on from the shadows as the American CEO of BP and the representative of the Russian state oil company, Rosneft, shook hands on their dramatic link-up was our Energy Secretary, Chris Huhne. His role was as undertaker at the wake of an independent British energy policy.

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Politicians and watchdogs called on the Government to force energy companies to open their books and explain what price they were paying for their gas and electricity and what price they were charging customers. The figures were published just a day after the fifth of the big six energy companies, E.on, announced it was increasing its customers' bills, adding £63 to average annual bill. It became the latest bill increase to hit families after the rise in VAT to 20 per cent at the start of the year, along with petrol climbing towards £6 a gallon and stubbornly high food prices. In total, 24.6 million customers across the five companies have been hit by price rises. E.on, along with its rivals, blamed rising wholesale energy prices, which have climbed by 35 per cent since last Spring. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/consumertips/8255259/Energy-companies-accused-of-profiteering.html

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Thursday, 13 January 2011

Holyrood is to seek to ensure that Scotland will not suffer from plans to reform the UK's energy market.

Finance secretary John Swinney has warned that any unnecessary changes to Scotland's established energy framework, particularly its focus on boosting the renewables sector, could "damage investor confidence" in the nation.

In a motion to go before Holyrood, Energy Secretary Jim Mather will call on the Parliament to recognise the importance of the UK Government's energy market reforms to Scotland's climate change and low-carbon energy objectives.

The UK Government has proposed a raft of measures to meet Britain's increasing demand for energy, while maintaining its commitment to lower carbon emissions.

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Getting the right price for your business gas supply is one of the important factors that impacts profitability of your business. To make sure you have the best supply at the cheapest rates possible you have to find the right business gas broker - you obviously can't be expected to do all the research by yourself, which is where a good gas broker steps in.

What makes it even more important to find the right business gas broker is the rising energy prices, and if you study the commercial gas market carefully enough you will be astonished to see that the cost of commercial gas can vary as much as 50 percent from supplier to supplier due to the amount of competition. Thus, it is very important that you partner with the commercial gas broker who can bring you the best value for your money.

Take some time out to approach a few gas brokers to understand if you are getting the right deal from each of them; or you could compare each of their opinions to see which one gives you the best advice. For a better idea, you might also want to do a cursory search on the Internet to find out the current ongoing wholesale market prices.

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UK gas prices plunged to seven week lows to levels last seen before the cold snap. Milder weather and strong supply from LNG terminals kept the market well supplied pushing business and commercial gas prices down.

UK Business Energy Prices Drop On Monday gas for day ahead and February delivery fell to prices similar to November, before we were hit by the coldest spell on record. Spot prices fell 1.55 pence and were traded at 54.75 pence per therm, while gas for delivery in February was traded at 55.00 per therm, 1.20 pence lower than previous sessions.

"Weather and LNG supply are weighing on prices. Some may be going short here with the idea that it has room for downside in the week," said a business gas broker.

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We are now well on the road to the end of the very first year of the CRC.

We've had the scare stories, the organisations failing to register, or less organisations registering than were very first thought. Early estimates from the Government suggested 5000 plus organisations would be full participants with a further 20,000 as data disclosures. We've had just over 3,700 full participants register, what does this tell us?

For me, based on my research, it tells me that a lot of organisations didn't comprehend what they were required to do. For instance, a vehicle dealership, an example Defra employed in their literature, if that dealership was a single franchise, SEAT for instance, then if a single SEAT dealer anywhere else inside the UK had a half hour meter then ALL SEAT dealerships and SEAT firms were in under the banner of SEAT, who had the responsibility of collating this data. That's nice and simple, until you then take a look at if that same dealership had say SEAT and VW at the same premises, they're out? Add to that the ability to register independently so the SEAT brand did not have to account for every thing that traded under its name . . . confused . . . therein lies the difficulty!

At least the Con/Dem co-alition government has pushed back the full implementation of phase 1 of the CRC by 12 months, the same for Phase 2.They're also looking at making the scheme simpler, firstly by making it a Tax, no payments from the pot for those that reduce emissions the most, Excellent or Poor?

For me it's a bit of great and bad, organisations no longer being rewarded for reducing emissions will need to discover some other motivation to reduce emissions! The great side is that it's giving these organisation more time to get to grips with the scheme, even so, as experience has shown, a lot of organisations left it to the last minute before registering for the CRC, will they do the same once more?

Initially Phase 1 reporting is primarily about Scope 1 & 2 emissions, Scope 1 being based on energy you produce, for instance if you had a wind turbine and selling electricity back to the grid, Scope 2 is for energy you purchase.

Nonetheless Phase 2 of the CRC is interesting, as it suggests that Scope three emissions will be included in a company's declaration, a great way of introducing mandatory emissions reporting for all via the back door. Scope three covers every thing from Travel to Suppliers.

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The global market for PC power management technologies will continue to expand "at a pretty rapid rate", according to a major new report confirming that the energy savings delivered by automated PC turn-off technologies can deliver a return on investment in less than six months for many organisations.

The study from IT industry analysts The 451 Group, entitled PC Power Management - Measuring, Monitoring and Managing Client Energy Consumption, concluded that despite the rapid expansion of the PC power management market in recent years the technology has still achieved market penetration of just 20 per cent, leaving plenty of room for expansion.

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Monday, 10 January 2011

Britain's largest gas storage site has lost some influence in supplying the market this winter as more flexible sources such as liquefied natural gas LNG) terminals have gained a bigger role covering peak-time demand. Centrica's Rough storage site off the east coast of Yorkshire can hold around 70 percent of Britain's gas stocks and has been a key source of heating gas on cold winter days. But since last winter, gas supply capacity at two of Britain's LNG terminals has increased by 50 percent each, lifting the potential for more cooled gas to enter the UK. 'Rough is still critical to the UK market but the increase in extra flexible capacity has taken some pressure off,' said Andrew Horstead, head of research at energy consultancy Utilyx. Key LNG supplier Qatar has also recently expanded production capacity by 7.8 million tonnes per year and is set to open another facility within one month's time. 'Given the extra capacity coming on stream in Qatar, following delays from last year, there's more supply available to the market and the UK is one of the few markets that has the capacity to absorb it,' Horstead said.

The amount of gas kept in storage in the UK is at its lowest level in five years for so early in the winter, according to National Grid.

Last month, was the coldest December since 1890, and the UK's gas storage facilities, which are among the smallest in Europe, are already more than half empty as they cope with record demand. Domestic supplies of gas have also been exported to the continent via the Interconnector under-sea pipeline, because prices are higher there than in the UK.

As of Friday, the UK had enough gas in storage to meet in total about five and a half days' consumption, given average winter temperatures, although storage facilities can release only a fraction of this each day. These facilities - mostly old gas fields such as Centrica's Rough reservoir off the coast of Yorkshire - have in the past run down gradually during the winter and restocked over the spring and summer. But analysts said that suppliers have withdrawn stocks much earlier this year, with almost two months of the winter left to run.

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Friday, 7 January 2011

Very few topics generate more buzz these days than news about social networks. Just how big is Facebook, and what, exactly are our kids doing on it every day? How will Apple create a network around music, and what's Google doing about it?

It's easy to forget that the world's largest business energy also represents the world's largest network, a nexus of wires and pipelines, consumers and "content providers" (a.k.a. energy producers) all tightly connected in a $7 trillion a year enterprise.

It's a network that's always on, whether you're talking about the clock radios and refrigerators that populate our homes, or the tankers and oil wells that feed our morning commutes. Most importantly, it's a network that can host surprising, even world-changing innovation that make our lives more interesting, more productive, and more secure.

Companies around the world are starting to exploit the network characteristics of energy. They're beginning to understand that their organizations have an energy nervous system and an energy metabolism. Businesses are innovating by mapping these networks, from the lights they use in offices and stores to the wires and generators that power them. They're using new software and new machines that help them deliver more goods and services for less and less energy at even better prices.

Corporations are also hedging against the risks inherent in this vast network. Up and down their energy and material supply chains, they're mapping their vulnerability to price shocks and environmental impacts. Companies like Walmart are collaborating, not just on their local grids, but across the globe to drive new levels of energy efficiency and therefore reduce risks to their bottom line.

With the constant rise in energy prices it is becoming more important for businesses to focus on improving their energy efficiency. There are many ways to improve your business energy efficiency, some of which I'll explain in this article. Before digging any deeper it is important to have a clear understanding of what electricity efficiency is.

With the connected acceleration in activity prices it is acceptable added important for businesses to focus on convalescent their activity efficiency. There are abounding means to advance your business activity efficiency, some of which I'll explain in this article.Before digging any added it is important to accept a bright compassionate of what electricity ability is. Activity ability in apparent English is the able use of activity by business or households. Convalescent business activity ability is the ambition to abate the activity burning aural all areas of a business, be it in the assembly band or in the offices.

Simple examples of activity ability improvements are if you abate by one bulk the baptize temperature of your boiler or insulate the bounds so the architecture uses beneath heating and cooling. But convalescent business activity ability goes far above that.First of all any bartering architecture with over 50m2 accept to accept an Activity Performance Certificate to actuate its electricity ability grade. The EPC allocate barrio in two audible categories: Simple Architecture and Complex Building, this will affect the blazon of EPC adjudicator you will need.

(For abundant admonition see assets box hotlink Activity Performance Certificate).Install acute meters to accretion added ascendancy over your ability burning and expenditures. This next bearing of electricity meters were developed to put an end to estimated account bills and beat readings, and accommodate barter and, business, activity suppliers with authentic admonition on the bulk of electricity and gas getting used.According to a analysis conducted by the Carbon Trust, businesses that installed acute activity meters appear accumulation of 12% a year if accumulated with burning abstracts and energy-saving advice.

Liquefied natural gas may help Great Britain deal with energy security but it exposes the market to global pressures, energy analysts said.

The International Energy Agency predicted a growth in the natural gas market with energy companies like Royal Dutch Shell expected to eventually produce more gas than oil.

London estimates that, as reserves in the North Sea start to run dry, the United Kingdom will rely on imports to meet 70 percent of its gas demand by 2020. As much as 60 percent of that is expected to come from LNG.

Simon Fairman, who manages a LNG terminal on the Isle of Grain, said that LNG is a mixed blessing for the region, noting shippers tend to go where the prices are most attractive, London's Guardian newspaper reports.

Oldham energy broker company Utility Masters has been bought for an undisclosed sum by Scottish procurement and compliance specialists M&C Energy Group. The deal for Royton-based Utility Masters will see the M&C Energy Group's turnover increase to £40m and "further cements its position as one of the world's leading energy consultancies". Utility Masters was founded in April 2000 by a team of senior utilities sector managers and helps clients to optimise energy costs and use. UM's founding partners, Jim McGhie, Shaun McClarnon and Kevin Whaites will join the M&C team. Jim McGhie, Managing Director, Utility Masters Limited, said: " M&C is unquestionably one of the world's leading energy consultancies with a strong reputation for excellence in customer services and product innovation. " M&C's global reach will bring significant benefits to our clients, many of whom require an integrated energy service across many sites worldwide. My partners and I are looking forward to working with M&C to drive forward this strong business." http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/business/s/1404167_mc_energy_group_acquires_utility_masters

Wednesday, 5 January 2011

Despite going through one of the coldest winters in history, UK energy prices dropped. Strong gas supply from Norway, imported LNG and the restart of a nuclear reactor helped bring household and business energy prices down.

UK Business Energy Prices Drop Normally when temperatures drop gas prices go up. This winter temperatures are several degrees below seasonal average which should have rocketed gas prices. Energy prices are highly influenced by gas prices, so every time gas prices go up energy prices soon follow.

Lyceum Capital-backed energy procurement and compliance specialist M&C Energy Group has acquired outsourced energy management company Utility Masters as it eyes further acquisitions to boost its global presence.

Scotland-headquartered M&C expects that this latest acquisition - its fourth in a year - will see its turnover increase to £40m and cement its position as a global energy consultancy.

With a focus on energy procurement and carbon reduction, UK company Utility Masters will add further depth and expertise to M&C's existing services and energy management solutions ; increasing its stature as a global energy services player. Following the acquisition, Utility Master's founding partners Jim McGhie, Shaun McClarnon and Kevin Whaites, will join M&C.